


All for One...

by DowagerMcGonagall



Series: Musketeer Maggie [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: 1630s, F/F, Fighting with Swords, Found Families, Gen, Might not historically accurate, Musketeers AU, No Aliens or Superpowers, Rivalry, political espionage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-07-15 18:27:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16068797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DowagerMcGonagall/pseuds/DowagerMcGonagall
Summary: In the span of about five days, Maggie loses the only family she has left, gets framed for murder, jumps out of a building, kisses a beautiful woman who then threatens her at knifepoint, and tries to save a Musketeer who may or may not be responsible for the death she is trying to avenge. This is her life now ever since she's arrived in Paris.





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this Musketeer AU has been in my head for weeks and I decided to write it in order to get it out of my brain. Right now this is just the prologue, and I am planning to post the rest of the chapters during this upcoming next week. This is loosely based on BBC's The Musketeers which is loosely based on The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. Oh and I proofread this myself so let me know if there are any mistakes. Thanks for reading.

**Outside Paris**

**1630**

 

When she first agreed to this journey, she didn't expect it would be pouring rain the whole entire time. She hoped that it would be clear and sunny on their way to Paris so she could see the beautiful countryside, instead she was drenched. Excited but drenched in the cold, cold rain. She couldn't wait to see Paris and ever since she arrived in Gascony she heard stories about the King and Queen and how beautiful the Louvre Palace was. She hoped that they would be able to see the palace in person and maybe even get a glance at the royal family. She couldn't wait but right now she just wanted to find somewhere that that they could dry off and start again in the morning. They haven't seen many inns on their journey but by the time she spotted one with a small barn attached to it, they've been traveling through the rain and the mud for hours on horseback.

 

"We've been traveling for ages Jeremiah. You're tired. We can stop here and head to Paris tomorrow." said Maggie a young woman of twenty to her traveling companion, an older gentleman in his fifties. His hat was completely soaked and no longer doing a great job of keeping the rain out of his face.

 

Jeremiah looked over at Maggie who was wearing a drenched over sized cloak that she had in her possession ever since they met. He knew her since she was a teenager and was positive that she would never admit to being tired but he too had grown weary from their travels and knew that it would be wise to rest their horses for the night.

 

"I could ride all night but if you need a rest, I guess we could stop."  He said with a smile as he guided his horse to the old inn.

 

Maggie let out a soft laugh and followed after Jeremiah. Once they arrived at the inn, Maggie took the horses towards the barn while Jeremiah went towards the inn to inquire about accommodations.

 

Once in the inn, Jeremiah took off his hat while trying his best to wipe his face dry and saw a few lodgers sleeping at a nearby table. He couldn't find an innkeeper but he did see a horseshoe hanging up near the stairs. He rang it a few times and accidentally woke one of the lodgers. Jeremiah looked over to the man to apologize but was interrupted from a voice up that rang from up the stairs.

 

"I was in the middle of dinner." said a short stocky man walking down the stairs. This must be the innkeeper.

 

"My farm hand and I need beds for the night. We've come from Gascony." responded Jeremiah. The innkeeper nodded and proceeded to help Jeremiah out of his jacket and went back upstairs to ready the rooms.  

 

"Headed to Paris, Monsieur?" asked the sleepy lodger who was now interested in this new arrival at the inn as it received few visitors but himself and a couple others that he was familiar with.

 

"Yes. I've come to petition the King on Gascony's behalf. His taxes are an intolerable burden." responded Jeremiah to the man who nodded in agreement.

 

"Too right. This country is going down the drain. Michel Fournier at your service." said the man holding at his hand to Jeremiah.

 

"Jeremiah Danvers."

 

"The Cardinal bleeds us dry. This would have never happened under the old King. He was a man of the peop--"

 

Fournier was interrupted by the inn door being busted open and three men and a woman entered the inn. These intruders were wearing identical cloaked uniforms and wearing bandanas over their mouths. Jeremiah saw that they were armed with pistols and swords. Even though he couldn't see underneath their cloaks, he most likely knew that each were armed with a main gauche on their backs. His thoughts turned to Maggie who was still in the barn.  He knew that she could handle herself well enough but he didn't want her getting hurt. She was often underestimated due to her size and those who did soon found out that she was force to be reckoned with.

 

The woman stepped forward and shoved a pistol in his face.

 

"I am Lena Luthor, of the Kings Musketeers. Please empty your pockets of all your jewelry and money."

 

He and the other lodger refused to do so and in response Luthor moved closer to them and cocked her pistol.

 

"If you want to see tomorrow, do as I say."

 

Before he and Fournier could do anything, the innkeeper ran down the stairs in anger telling the intruders to leave. He was shot as soon as he was in the sight of Luthor's pistol. The innkeeper staggered to the side and fell over dead at their feet.

 

"I was told Musketeers were honorable. I see that I was misinformed." said Jeremiah in anger as he unsheathed his own sword.

 

"You think this is bad. I'm just getting started." responded Luthor as she brought out her second gun that was hidden underneath her cloak.

__________

 

Maggie entered the barn with the two horses and saw that it was completely empty. She brought the two horses further inside and proceeded to take their saddles off. Then she looked to see whether there was any extra hay in the barn that her horses could feed on when she heard thunder. She was glad that Jeremiah had decided to stay at the inn tonight since he probably would have gotten sick and delayed their chance to petition the King. She didn't think anything would change from the petition but ever since Jeremiah took her in, she learned from him that life is too short not to do the right thing and stand up for what you believe in. Before they left however, Jeremiah seemed like he had another task in mind while they were in Paris but whenever Maggie brought it up he changed the subject to expanding the farm and investing in different livestock. From her years working with him, she knew Jeremiah would tell her in his own time.

 

After the horses were fed, she went to grab their bags and when she did so she heard the cock of a gun behind her. She dropped her bags and raised her hands in the air. She could see two men holding guns approaching in her peripheral vision. 

 

"Well aren't you a pretty young thing." said one of the men. Maggie rolled her eyes in disgust and tried to stay calm.

 

"You're not my type buddy. Trust me." she responded as the two men chuckled in response. One of the men circled her and stopped once he was in front of Maggie and smiled.

 

Maggie heard a gunshot go off in the distance outside of the barn. _Jeremiah._ She punched the one behind her and before the man in front could react, she grabbed the gun of his fallen comrade and shot the man in front of her who then fell on his back in the hay. She drew out her sword before the man she punched was able to get up and lunged at him like she was going to attack him but was only trying to frighten him. The man backed away scared and looked towards the barn door hoping to exit it alive.  Maggie smiled to herself thinking that all her lessons with Jeremiah would have paid off if she had to fight this guy. The man ran towards the door, when the sound of horse hooves began approaching the barn. The man ran out, quickly followed by Maggie who saw him get on a horse whose reins were being held by his comrades. They were fleeing from the inn. She tried to follow but knew it was pointless and turned towards the inn and saw Jeremiah exit.

 

"I couldn't stop them." she said as she walked over to Jeremiah.

 

He was holding his sword and clutching his stomach in pain. Maggie couldn't stop him from falling to his knees and she saw the blood on his hand from his stomach. He was shot and she started to worry that Jeremiah wouldn't make it when he struggled to speak to her.

 

"Jeremiah? Jeremiah! Hold on. Please don't leave me. You're the only family I have left." Her voice started to crack now. She doesn't have it in her to be alone again. She knew that she wouldn't make it.

 

"Luthor. Find them." Jeremiah ushered out with his final breath.

 

"Find who? Jeremiah? Jeremiah!" she sobbed into his still chest.

 

Maggie couldn't tell if the water on her face was from the rain or from her tears but to her it didn't matter. She was once again alone in the world and this time she would make whoever responsible pay with their life.

__________

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone have any idea who Jeremiah was trying to tell Maggie to find? 
> 
> So let me know what you guys thought and I'll post the next chapter in a couple of days where we will get to meet some of our favorite characters in this world!
> 
> This story will be completed but if I decide to write more in this world, the main and probably only romantic pairing will be Sanvers. If I decide to add another, I'll put it in the tags and notes.


	2. Welcome to Paris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we meet our Musketeers, their Captain, the Cardinal, and the Royal Family. Including a brief background on my version of the Musketeer regiment. Also Maggie finally makes it to Paris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So far the only historical figures in this story are the King, Queen, and the Cardinal. If I continue this series, I'll expand on some of the characters background.  
> Also, I've finished this story so I'll just have to proofread everything before posting the rest of the chapters.  
> Thanks for reading.

**Paris**

**Three Days Later**

A small ray of sunshine peaked its way through the curtains and woke her up from a deep slumber. Lena Luthor winced from a headache and thought she closed the curtains upon returning to her room the night before. The room wasn't that big or lavishly decorated but it was enough for her. It had the bare necessities: a bed, chair, and a stool. Besides a couple of change of clothes stored in a trunk and her weapons it was all she needed.

 

That and plenty of alcohol. She noticed that she was loosely holding an almost empty glass wine bottle in her hand. Once she opened her eyes she saw that the floor was riddled with empty glass bottles. She squinted at the sun shining through the curtain and turned her body away from the window before finishing off the bottle in her hand.

 

She searched for another bottle of wine before noticing the chain that held a locket around her neck. She never took it off even though it had a tendency to get stuck in her long hair more often than not. Her fingers lightly grazed the locket and the memories of what occurred that day came back. She drank at night to forget her actions on a day that completely changed her life. She couldn't wait until she was no longer plagued by the memories or nightmares.

 

But right now she had to focus on getting ready for the day. Lena stretched and walked over to her window and noticed that the bucket of water she left outside was frozen on top from the night before. She did not enjoy it but this was the only way she knew how to get sober immediately. Lena smashed through the icy top and took a couple of deep breaths before dunking her head in the cold icy water.

 

This was her daily routine: head dunking and a couple of stretches with her sword. After changing into a clean shirt, she put on her leather jacket that proudly displayed the pauldron of the Kings Musketeers on her right shoulder. Next, were her boots, gloves, and finally her hat that featured a beautiful feather on its left side.

 

Now she just had to find her two comrades.

  
________

 

There was a tavern that was frequented by many Musketeers and Red Guards alike. In this particular tavern sat one Winn Schott of the Kings Musketeers and across from him sat Dujon of the Red Guards. They each were holding a couple of cards and a small pile of coins in between them was their reward. Dujon revealed his cards and smiled in triumph as he knew that Winn wouldn't be able to beat him. He began to reach for the coins but was stopped by Winn who showed his hand and smiled.

 

"That's impossible. You cheated." said Dujon in outrage.

 

"What's going on?" said Lena having just walked into the tavern after searching a couple of Winn's favorite haunts.

 

When she first met Winn, Lena was surprised that he was a Musketeer. He didn't seem like the type but she after a couple of missions with him, she saw how ingenious Winn was with getting them out of trouble. He saved her life more times than she could count and he also had the unnatural ability to fight with anything he could get his hands on. Winn was one of the bravest and smartest man she ever knew.

 

"Dujon and I were just having a discussion on having integrity throughout life especially in a good faith card game."

 

"You had a King up your sleeve."

 

"That's slander. Should I sue him Lena?"

 

"Leave me out of this, Winn." she replied as she walked over to the barkeep.

 

In anger, Dujon stood and pulled out his pistol that was hidden beneath the table at Winn who was still in his seat.

 

"Shoot him and its murder." said Lena as she faced the barkeep and ordered a drink.

 

"One less Musketeer who cares." said Dujon as Winn taunted him by pointing at his chest telling him to shoot.

 

"Fine words from a Red Guard. Look, there is only one way to resolve this. A duel between you two gentlemen supervised in accordance to the strict code of honor and chivalry." said Lena as she grabbed her drink from the bar and placed herself behind Winn leaning on a wall in the tavern. Winn nodded in agreement as Dujon lowered his pistol until it was resting on the table in front of him.

 

They both got up from their chairs and before Winn could reach for his sword on the chair next to him, Dujon knocked it away.

 

"Winn here might be one of the best swordsmen in France. So it makes no sense to fight fair if I might lose."

 

"But my sword."

 

"That's your problem." said Dujon as he pulled out his sword from the belt in his hands.

 

At this Dujon lunged for Winn who was able to easily evade him due to his size. Lena watched on in amusement as Winn tried to block the opposing sword with his gloved hands. Winn soon was able to get his hands on a couple of eating utensils to use and valiantly fought Dujon off before he dropped to the floor. Lena was standing over Dujon holding her pistol like a club.

 

"What happened to the code of honor?" asked Winn as he began to quickly gather his winnings.

 

"Who has the time? Captain J'onzz is looking for us." answered Lena and shot a disappointing look at Winn when she saw some cards fall out of his sleeves.

 

"I know, I don't need these to win. I'm plenty smart without them."

 

"So modest. Where's James?"

 

Winn's smile fell from his face as he stared back at Lena.

 

"Please tell me he's not that stupid."

  
________

 

"James, thank you but this is all too much." said Jess to the tall Musketeer.

 

James had wanted to be a Musketeer ever since he was a young boy. He wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and become a great Musketeer like him. He even wore his father's old pauldron. However, after his father died in battle his mother was scared that James would suffer the same fate and tried to persuade him to have a peaceful life and join the church. They eventually came to an agreement that James would reconsider the idea every year. So far James' answer was always the same but each year he found himself studying the bible more and more. Maybe one day he would seek out a peaceful life but it wasn't today.

 

"It's my pleasure. The Cardinal does not feed you enough. You are his servants. For a man of God, he should treat you better." he replied carrying two baskets of food further into the kitchen.

 

"Yes but he prefers to look after his Red Guards before us. Always saying that we should be grateful that we are given anything." muttered Jess as James looked on with sad eyes.

 

"You could always leave and cook for the Musketeers. Serge is looking for some help in the kitchens." said James hopeful that he could convince Jess to finally leave this place.

 

"James you know that I can't. My father owed a debt to the Cardinal and he died working it off. If I don't work, it falls to my younger siblings and I can't have that." she argued. They have had this argument ever since they met three years ago.

 

"I don't want you to die here like you father." pleaded James grabbing her hands and bringing them to his mouth to kiss.

 

"Is this where you ask me to marry you again? At least you're sober this time." laughed Jess as she began to go through the baskets of food that James brought.

 

"Yes. I may have been drunk but I meant every word. I love you and I can make you happy."

 

Jess smiled at this but before she could respond she heard noise on the stairs above them. She grabbed the two baskets of food and hid them in a secret compartment in the floor.

 

"Red Guards. You're gonna have to leave out with the laundry." whispered Jess as she pulled James to a door.

 

"Fine but think about what I said. Oh and please put the dirtiest clothes on top. I had a mouth full of the Cardinal's socks the other day."

 

"Very well." huffed Jess as James struggled to get into the small laundry cart. She laughed at how uncomfortable he looked and kissed his cheek before covering him up with sheets.

 

"Servant girl, the Cardinal wants some wine and a light meal before he goes back to the palace." yelled a Red Guard once he entered the kitchen.

 

"Right away." said Jess as she went about preparing some food for the Cardinal.

 

"Is this clean?" asked the Red Guard about the laundry cart.

 

"No, I'm waiting for the boy who takes this." replied Jess getting worried as the Red Guard got closer to the cart but the boy arrived to take the cart and Jess directed him to hurry since he was late.

 

"Alright. Hurry up with that food." said the guard before heading back of the stairs.

  
________

 

After hearing the two knocks on the side of the cart, James tossed the clothes above him out in the alley. He heard a slight chuckle behind him and saw Lena and Winn looking at him with slight smiles on their faces.

 

"You went and saw Jess again." said Lena.

 

"Yes and I proposed again." replied James as Winn helped him out of the cart.

 

"At least you were sober this time. Did she say yes?"

 

"No, but she said she would think about it." said James proudly.

 

"Well, its better than her laughing and thinking that you're joking." said Winn patting James on the back guiding him towards the Musketeer garrison.

  
________

 

Eight years ago, King Louis the thirteenth formed the Musketeer Regiment as the royal guards of the Bourbon household. They were an honorable group of comrades that fought either on horseback or on foot. At that time only men were able to join and serve the royal family but the King heard how other countries were using women as secret spies in order to gather information on their enemies. The King, not wanting to be out done by his ruling rivals, wanted to have something better and more honorable than women spies and knew the only way to achieve this seemingly impossible goal was through the Musketeers. So four years ago, he allowed those women who wanted to fight for their King and country to do so but only as a Musketeer. Having women fight alongside men may not have been proper or right but it allowed the King to have a unique regiment that no one else had and to him having something that the other rulers didn't have was something he loved.

 

Lena, Winn, and James entered the garrison and saw their fellow comrades sparing with swords or just with their bare fists. Man against woman, woman against man. All were equal in this regiment and you couldn't be a Musketeer unless you could fight alongside the women in the regiment. There were still those on the outside that had issues with women Musketeers but they would be have to take it their complaints to the Captain of the Musketeers, J'onn J'onzz. Most of them would not as he had the respect of the King.

 

"You three, my office. Now!" said Captain J'onzz as he saw the three enter from his office above the garrison yard.

 

"He looks cheerful." muttered Winn and the three walked up the stairs towards the Captain's office.

 

Once in the office, the three saw J'onzz with his arms folded standing behind his desk. Captain J'onzz, an older gentleman, has been a soldier for France since he was a young man. When the Musketeers were formed, he finally saw a chance to serve his country with honor in a way that he could be proud of and was immediately given the rank of Captain at the start of its formation. He worked hard to grow and maintain the honor of this regiment.

 

"I've had allegations that you have been dueling with the Cardinal's Red Guards. Is that true?" he asked them.

 

"No, because that would be illegal." said Lena with a straight face. James and Winn did the same and gave nothing away to their Captain but he didn't believe them.

 

"Look, I can't protect you if you keep fighting his men."

 

The three nodded at him and he proceeded to tell them some troubling news.

 

"Cornet and her troop are missing. I need you find them."

 

"I thought you sent her to Chartres." said Lena concerned about her friends and fellow comrades.

 

"Yes but she should have been back by now. There has been no word and I don't know if she made it or if something held her up." replied the Captain.

 

"What was she doing anyway?" asked Winn.

 

"All I can say is she was carrying important messages to a confidential meeting at the monastery." said the Captain now seated behind his desk.

 

"It has to do with the King. Just find out what happened and get to Chartres as soon as you can." he continued before he let them go to prepare for their journey.

  
________

 

Maggie finally found herself in Paris after the tragedy that happened at the inn. She returned to Gascony to bury Jeremiah's body at the farm and then she immediately left for Paris once again. The farm was left in the hands of a trusted friend and neighbor, McConnell. He said that he would look after the place until she returned. Maggie thanked him but didn't have it in her to tell him that she might not return. If she lived, she doesn't know if she had it in her to live at the farm again.

 

Once in Paris, she was amazed by all the different people here and how crowded the streets were. They were filled with merchants selling their goods and shoppers browsing their stalls. It was amazing. The only time she's seen these many people was before she arrived in Gascony when she was a little girl. She wandered through the streets and ended up in what she assumed to be the shabby part of Paris and began to seek out a cheap room. She figured she would need a nights rest as she sorted out Jeremiah's final wishes. But first she needed to find his killer.

 

She was directed toward a dirty small little inn that had an pig shaped sign above the front door. Before entering, she hoped that the inside was a bit cleaner than the outside.

 

"Twenty sous for the bed. Ten if you share." said the older woman leading her upstairs towards the room.

 

"Any lice or crabs?" asked the innkeeper.

 

"No thanks. Just a bed and dinner." answered Maggie and as they entered the room they saw a cockroach crawling across the floor.

 

"This is a clean house." said the innkeeper after she stepped on the bug and Maggie unconvinced just silently stared at the woman. Well she's had worse.

 

"Mademoiselle…."

 

"Just Maggie's fine, Madame."

 

"Good, I don't need to know you're whole life story. Well, dinner is extra."

 

"Clean water?"

 

"Extra"

 

"Soap? Don't tell me. I can guess."

 

"But the communal towel is free." said the woman before leaving Maggie alone in her room.

  
________

 

Most days Captain J'onzz could be found at the garrison watching over his Musketeers as they trained and even joining in whenever he had any free time. Much of his time was going through reports of the regiments missions and relaying them to the King himself.

 

King Louis was a vain young man who took to the aristocratic lifestyle with great ease. It's not that he doesn't care about the people of France; he just cares more about those solely important to him. The captain hoped that with time, the King would come to care for all of France's people no matter who they were.

 

Currently the Captain was in one of the many gardens of the Louvre Palace watching the King shoot bow and arrows. His wife, Queen Anne was seated off to the side surrounded by her ladies-in-waiting and other courtiers watching the King and clapping whenever the King made a good shot. Queen Anne hailed from Spain and was betrothed to the King since they were kids and now they could be considered more as best friends than husband and wife. She was an intelligent passionate young woman who was often able to appeal to her husband's more sensible side.

 

"There's nothing more wonderful than a man shooting isn't there." said King Louis to his audience.

 

"It's not really shooting if there's no moving target sire." said Queen Anne rather sarcastically but her husband thought her serious. She would rather him shoot targets than birds.

 

"Quite right. Someone send for some birds. Think I'll be as good as the Musketeers, J'onzz? "asked the King to the Captain who watched along with a couple other Musketeers on guard duty in the garden dressed in their uniforms with the addition of a light blue cloak.

 

"My regiment is made up of trained soldiers, Your Majesty."

 

"You should really try flattery sometimes Captain. It is very welcomed around here." responded the King as he gestured to his courtiers.

 

"I have always told you the truth, Your Majesty. I'll never stop."

 

"This is why I like you Captain. Everyone here will say anything to get in my good graces but not you. It amuses me to have such an honest man at court." said the King as he prepared for another shot but was distracted by the arrival of Cardinal Richelieu.

 

Cardinal Armand Richelieu had served the royal family for years and now in his forties he was one the King's most trusted advisors. He worked hard to maintain the power and reputation of both the King and France. He could mostly be seen dressed in black and wearing a golden cross around his neck. Whenever he dealt with the affairs of France, he could be seen wearing long black cloak which exactly what he was wearing today.

 

"What can I do for you Cardinal?"

 

"Your Majesty, I have received many reports that there are Musketeers on the rampage. Robbing and murdering. It's disturbing to say the least." stated the Cardinal mainly to Captain of the regiment himself.

 

"There has been a mistake. These outlaws are not Musketeers." responded J'onzz confident that no one in his regiment would do this.

 

"I too can't believe a word of this. There is no one more loyal than the men and women of the Musketeers." said the Queen quickly coming to the defense of the regiment.

 

"I request there be an inquire into the matter." said the Cardinal.

 

"For this? Is it really necessary?" asked the King who lowered his bow in annoyance to the Cardinal's pestering.

 

"You must be seen as fair, Your Majesty. You can't have favorites. The people won't like it." stated the Cardinal as the King began the mull over his words.

 

"There have been no recent desertions or absences in your regiment? Are all musketeers accounted for?" asked the Cardinal to Captain J'onzz.

 

"None." replied the Captain not wanting anyone to know about the handful of Musketeers that went missing earlier this week. He didn't want to give the Cardinal the satisfaction before he knew what happened to his soldiers.

 

"Really? No one off giving birth or playing midwife?" inquired the Cardinal who was never a fan of allowing women into the regiment.

 

"Cardinal must we go through this again. Allowing women into the regiment was my idea and I'm proud to have them serve me. Now J'onzz gave his word. None of the Musketeers are missing." said the King whose attention was drawn to some rifles that were placed in front of him by a servant.

 

"They wear the Kings uniform. I'm just worried about your reputation."

 

"Fine. Have your inquiry. J'onzz, you will give your Cardinal your full cooperation."

  
________

 

The three Musketeers rode through the snow and arrived to the Chartres monastery by midday. James went off to find the monastery's Abbot in order to discover the whereabouts of their missing comrades.

 

"Cornet and her troop never showed. The abbot waited all night for them." said James as he walked back over to his friends who were waiting by their horses after bidding the abbot farewell.

 

"Well a troop of Musketeers can't just disappear into thin air." argued Winn.

 

"There's more, the Abbot was told to expect a Spanish envoy." continued James as his two friends looked at each other in confusion.

 

"Spanish envoy? J'onzz never mentioned that."

 

"It doesn't matter. He didn't show up either." answered James.

 

"Well Cornet is a fine soldier. If she's gone missing, there has to be a good reason for it." reasoned Winn.

 

"Or a bad one." finished James rather grimly.

 

"Come on. Let's head back to Paris. We're not going to learn anything here." said Lena as she mounted her horse and lead them out of the Monastery.

  
________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The adventure has begun. Let me know what you guys thought!
> 
> The next chapter should be up on either Friday or Saturday!
> 
> Next time: Maggie reads a letter and meets some new friends (sort of) and Alex enters the story.


	3. Dear Maggie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maggie learns more about Jeremiah's past and faints at the feet of a beautiful woman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Tidbit: Maggie is angry and depressed. She's not exactly in control of her emotions right now. 
> 
> Thanks to the guest who left a nice comment on chapter 2.
> 
> Let me know if there are any mistakes (edit: found some). Also thanks for the kudos and thanks for reading.

It was dinner time at the inn, Maggie and some of the other lodgers were seated in the dining area. So far all she had was wine, it wasn't like she didn't want to eat the dish in front of her but it just looked inedible. She’s eaten worse but the meal in front of her had an unnatural stench. She couldn't believe she paid extra for this. At least the wine was good and very much needed after the rough couple of days she had.

 

After the funeral, she couldn't find a will but Maggie found a letter addressed to her from Jeremiah and it was as good a will as any. It took her awhile to work up the courage to read it but once she did, she read it so often that she memorized it. This letter was the only thing that gave her peace of mind as she came closer to finding his killer.

 

_Dear Maggie,_

 

_If you're reading this, then I have died without telling you the truth and I am sorry for it. I should have told you this years ago but I wanted to forget. It is something that I am ashamed of and I hate how I'm leaving you with this responsibility. Before I get to that, I'm leaving everything I have to you. This includes the farm which you can sell if you don’t want to live there anymore. You’ve always wanted to see the world and this could be your chance to do so. Besides after reading this letter you might decide you want nothing to do with the farm. Just promise me, you'll leave it in good hands._

 

_I may have always been a farmer to you but before that I lived in Paris. I had a family: a wife, Eliza and a daughter, Alex. I later learned that Eliza took in a young girl whose parents were killed due to my actions. I was involved with a group called Cadmus and their goals were to better the people of Paris. They wanted to educate the people and teach them skills so they could rely on themselves and improve the lives of their families. We even tried to petition the King to help with these endeavors but were unsuccessful. The group didn't give up though and we still tried to help people as much as we could. Unfortunately, the group drew the attention of some more radical thinkers who wanted to take things further by blaming the Royal Family for their misfortunes. This is not what this group stood for but I couldn't stop them from gaining more followers. My only hope was to go to an old friend, J'onn J’onzz, and we came up with a plan to stop this group from causing any destruction. No one was supposed to get hurt but there was a fire at one of the more radical meetings which I was to attend in order to identify all of the conspirators involved. It spread to a couple of surrounding houses, I tried to get people out but I was knocked out before I could help anyone._

 

_I woke up a couple of days in a house on the outskirts of Paris. J'onn told me that Cardinal Richelieu found out about our plan and wanted to execute everyone involved and he had one of his soldiers start the fire. My family thought I died in the fire and that I was considered a traitor to the royal family. J'onn said that he would work to clear my name but I thought it was better to not return and let my family move on from this tragedy._

 

_That was eight years ago and since then I've been a humble farmer just keeping his head down until I met a young teenager who was hiding out in my barn for almost a week. After you told me what happened, I took you in not out of pity or out of some redemption for myself but to do want I tried to do all those years ago. So I taught you everything I knew about farming, fighting, and the stars. You always said that I taught you to do the right thing and stand up for your beliefs no matter what but you were my teacher. As I am writing this you are recovering from the bruises you received after helping strangers on the road fight off a couple of thieves. You are an amazing person Maggie and I don't want you to ever forget it._

 

_I hate that I'm leaving all this to you. I hate that I'm leaving all of this on you. I hate that I'm writing this down instead of telling you the truth. I don't know what you'll think of me after you have read this but I need you to do something for me. Find my family. Tell them the truth about what happened that night. They are good people, Maggie. I know you lost one family already but you can choose them to be your family; just like you are mine._

 

_Love Always,_

 

_Jeremiah_

__________

 

Maggie finished reading Jeremiah's letter for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. She doesn't know what to think about Jeremiah's actions all those years ago. All she knows is that he took her in and treated her like his own when she was young. She would honor his final wishes and find his family.

 

Maggie's thoughts on how she was supposed to go about finding his wife and daughters were interrupted by a loud arrival through the inn's door.

 

"We'll have your best room. If the bed has fleas, you will be horsewhipped." said a booming voice. Maggie looked up and saw rather stocky gentleman decades older than her enter the inn and was closely followed by a woman.

 

"Draw me a bath and make sure the water is clean. I don't want to bathe in someone else's scum." said his traveling companion; a woman who Maggie thought was gorgeous. She was younger than the man but had some years on Maggie. She was dressed splendidly wearing a red dress and had a black choker around her neck Maggie thought it was strange that she would be wearing such lavish clothes in the shabbier part of Paris.

 

"Madame, clean water is extra. Don't even ask about the towel." murmured Maggie with a slight smile on her face.

 

Maggie saw that her words quickly angered the gentleman and he approached her table.

 

"Were you addressing me?"

 

"Not unless your name is Madame." she answered as the woman laughed quietly behind the man who was now embarrassed.

 

"Forgive me Milady, while I teach this one some manners." the man said as he begun to draw out his sword but Maggie stood and aimed her pistol at the man.

 

"I don't want to hurt you. Put your sword away." said Maggie annoyed with the man.

 

"What kind of woman carries a pistol and a sword? You are no proper lady."

 

"That hurts, Monsieur."

 

The other guests quietly watched and laughed as the man's face begun to turn red. The woman, Milady, tried to calm him down before he got himself killed.

 

"Leave her be Mendoza. She's just some drunk. Please put your sword away."

 

Mendoza obliged Milady and turned to follow the innkeeper up to their room but he stopped himself and faced Maggie once more.

 

"We'll settle this at breakfast."

 

"I'll be in the courtyard at dawn." replied Maggie as she watched them go up the stairs towards their room.

____________

 

Maggie didn't know how late it was when she heard a knock on her door. Once it was opened, she saw Milady standing on the other side of the door.

 

"I just wanted to apologize for Mendoza's attitude earlier." said Milady with a friendly smile.

 

"It wasn't your fault. I should have kept my mouth shut." replied Maggie and gestured to Milady to enter the room and walked over to the bed.

 

"You seem too young to be traveling by yourself. Are you visiting family?" she asked concerned as Maggie sat down next to her on the bed.

 

"Sort of and this isn't the first time I traveled a long distance. At least I'm older this time."

 

"You are so young to go through so much. I can relate. Is it the nightmares that keep you up?"

 

Maggie nodded and watched as Milady slowly lifted her choker that was covering a scar. Maggie reached up and lightly touched it around her neck.

 

"What happened?"

 

"The person I devoted my whole life to tried to murder me."

 

Maggie could sense Milady’s sadness and anger over this person. She felt it too when she was younger before she met Jeremiah. Having a home, a family allowed that feeling to diminish and only on some days she would feel that pain again but it wasn't often. She once thought that the she would never feel that kind of pain again but then Jeremiah was murdered. Now, she feared that she'll feel that pain for the rest of her life. No one should have to deal with that kind of hurt. She always thought justice would prevail but after what happened to her, Jeremiah, and now Milady; she didn't know if justice existed anymore. She wasn't sure she believed in it anymore.

 

"How can someone you trust do that to you? Normally, I'd say to seek justice and not revenge but my world was turned upside down for the second time in my life. First time, I was too young and scared to do anything and this time..." Maggie trailed off and tears started to form in her eyes. Milady took out a handkerchief and gave it to Maggie to use.

 

"I'd ask if you would ever kill my would-be murderer or those that hurt you but I'm not sure what you would say."

 

"Me either. Ask me again someday."

 

Milady stared at Maggie and wondered if she was serious or just trying to be nice. She glanced over and saw Maggie's sword and pistol lying on a nearby chair. Mendoza was right that it was uncommon to see a proper lady of any stature with these objects in their possession.

 

"Well you seemed able to take care of yourself, so maybe I'll hold you to that one day. Now I want you to lie down and go to sleep. I'll stay with you." said Milady as she got up from the bed and pulled down the covers for Maggie.

 

"You don't have to do that. Won't your companion miss you?"

 

"He won't wake. Besides one of us shouldn't have nightmares tonight. Now close your eyes."

 

Maggie closed her eyes as she laid her head on the pillow and felt Milady's fingers running through her hair. The last sound she heard was Milady's soft humming.

_________

 

The next sound that Maggie heard was shouting. She opened her eyes and saw a bloody dagger lying on the pillow beside her. It was morning and Milady was nowhere to be seen. Maggie could see the blood on the dagger soaking through the pillow and spreading to sheets. After making sure that she wasn't injured, Maggie exited her room and saw that there was a crowd around an open room. She peaked inside and saw Mendoza lying on the bed wearing a white shirt covered in blood. He was killed most likely caused by the dagger lying on her bed thought Maggie. Before she was able to leave the crowd, the woman innkeeper turned from Mendoza's door and saw the bloody dagger on Maggie's bed.

 

"You murdered him! Get her!" she yelled pointing at Maggie.

 

Maggie quickly pushed her through the crowd surrounding her and ran to her room and immediately shut the door. She heard yelling outside of her room and saw the door started to give way due to the pounding. Maggie quickly gathered her belongings and saw that the window was her only way out of this. She opened the window, leaped over the sill, crashed through a thin clothed straw awning, and landed on the road in front of the inn. Maggie struggled to get up due pain from her ribs but she forced herself to due to the footsteps and voices she could hear from inside the inn. She looked up at the window she jumped from and saw the innkeeper who yelled to the others inside of the inn.

 

Maggie took off as fast as she could away from the inn and ran into the biggest crowd of people she could find. She ran past a man walking his donkey that carried supplies and she ended up in what she considered to be the market square. She ran past a dozen of stalls of merchants selling different kinds of goods and food. If she wasn't in such a rush she probably would have stopped and bought something. But alas she was on the run for her life. She heard the yelling behind her and knew her time was running out. Maggie needed a distraction now or she was going to end up in The Chatelet awaiting trial. She glanced back the innkeeper woman was still following her as Maggie turned the corner and started down a narrow street crowded with stalls and people. She was struggling to navigate the narrow and crowded space due to her injury.

 

Maggie hid behind a rather large stone column and finally saw her chance. She quickly looked around the pillar and spotted some members of the mob were approaching her current position.

 

"I'm so sorry. I know this is a strange request and highly inappropriate but if you kiss me I'll give you five livres!" she said as she tapped a young dark haired woman's shoulder.

 

The young woman turned around and just stared. Maggie couldn't tell if she was just in shock at the strange request or if she just didn't know what to say. All Maggie could do was offer a small smile to the woman.

 

"What?!" the young woman spluttered. 

 

"Kiss me! Please. I'm explain later I promise." said Maggie as she looked around the column and saw the lady innkeeper a couple of feet from them.

 

The young woman nodded and Maggie cupped her face and kissed her. Maggie continued kissing the woman until the lady innkeeper walked right past them.

 

"I can't believe that worked." said Maggie in disbelief just before the woman kneed her in the stomach.

 

"How dare you! I can't believe you asked me to do that. I can't believe I agreed to it. I am a respectable woman. Ask me to do that again and I'll gut you like a fish!" she yelled as she grabbed a knife off a merchant's table next to them and pointed it at Maggie.

 

"Do I look like a working girl?" she asked and Maggie looked up and down her flowery yellow dress and started to nod.

 

"This is my best dress! How does this scream prostitute to you?" said the young woman in outrage as she held the knife towards Maggie who was slowly backing away.

 

"My apologies, Mademoiselle."

 

"It’s Madame."

 

"Madame, I won't bother you anymore." answered Maggie as she walked further away from this woman. She leaned over a table of freshly baked bread, struggling to catch her breath as she clutched her ribs in pain.

 

"Are you alright?" asked the woman with concern as she lowered the knife.

 

"Do you know what fainting feels like?"

 

"A sort of woozy feeling combine with a loss of consciousness."

 

Before Maggie could respond she fell flat on the table knocking multiple baskets of bread onto the street.

 ________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Maggie met Alex and it was not the best meeting. Let me know what you think about this chapter. 
> 
> Next chapter will be up sometime in the upcoming week. 
> 
> Next time: More about Alex. And Maggie vs. Lena. Who will win?


	4. Misunderstanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maggie recovers and challenges Lena to a duel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Tidbit: My 1630s Alex has not come out yet. Let's just say she's drawn to Maggie and she has no idea why. If I continue the series, her coming out will be weaved into the stories. Also its my first time writing a sword fight scene. Used some fencing terms, hope they are correct. Let me know your thoughts on this chapter. 
> 
> Let me know if there are any mistakes. Like always thanks for reading and thanks for the kudos.

She couldn't believe she brought this woman into her home even if that might have been the best kiss of her life and she just happened to have the cutest dimples she had ever seen.  _Focus._ Putting that aside, it seemed that this woman was all alone and no one back in the square seemed to want to help her out. So she borrowed someone's cart and promised that she would return it as soon as possible. Once they got to her house, she easily carried the woman to the guest bedroom; this woman was really tiny. Anyway, she gently put her on the bed and set aside the woman's bag and sword belt on a chair in the room. 

 

She proceeded to remove the woman's jacket, boots, and socks before carefully and slowly lifting her shirt from the bottom. She noticed that the woman was clutching her chest before fainting and was worried about her ribs. She saw the bruises. She'd learned from experience that they would take a while to heal but she had a homemade balm that soothed the pain. She was going to need another shirt. 

________

 

Maggie woke up to a cool cloth moving across her forehead and immediately tried to grab the hand above her once she opened her eyes. It was the woman from the street sitting on the side of the bed.

 

"Where am I?" asked Maggie as she tried get up but her head hurt too much for her to do so. She noticed that she was a wearing a large white shirt that wasn't hers and her boots were missing. What happened to her socks?

 

"My husband's house."

 

"Husband?"

 

"I take you in out of the goodness of my heart and all you care about is my personal life."

 

"I'm just surprised. It seemed that you haven't been kissed in years." replied Maggie with a slight smirk on her face silently challenging the woman as she waited for an answer.  

 

"Why were you running away from that lady?" 

 

"Normally, I wouldn't pass up the chance to spend a day with such a wonderful woman but today is not that day. I have to find the Musketeer garrison. I have an appointment with the Musketeer Luthor." said Maggie avoiding the question. She searched the room for her shirt and saw it at the bottom of the bed near her feet. She got up and proceeded to change her shirt as the woman looked away respectfully. 

 

"Lena? I know her. Is she a friend of yours?"

 

"Not exactly."

 

"You can barely walk."

 

"That's my problem. Now are you going to tell me the way to the Musketeer garrison or not."

 

"You're in no shape to fight, if that's what you're thinking." said the woman as she got up from the bed and Maggie turned to her silently asking how she could possible know what she was planning to do.

 

"I got into a lot of fights as a kid. I know that look in anyone's eye."

 

"With all due respect it is none of your business." said Maggie when she sat back on the bed to put on her socks and boots.

 

"You made it my business when you fell at my feet."

 

"You're a beautiful women, I'm sure you are used to it. Even if my kiss was the first one you had in years." said Maggie as she stood back up to retrieve her sword and pistol.

 

"I should have left you in the gutter."

 

"My apologies again. I am not always so rude. May I inquire the name of my savior?"

 

"Lord. Alex Lord."

 

"Lena Luthor killed the only family I had left, Alex. I have to face her and get her to answer for his death. Then if I make it out alive, I need to find his family." Maggie paused now realizing that she had no backup plan if she died and obviously not able to find Jeremiah's family.

 

"I know you just met me Alex and I haven't been all that appreciative of your kindness, but I need a favor. If you hear of my death, there's a letter in my bag and I need you to read it. Please do as it says and find his family."

 

Alex nodded with tears in her eyes and was amazed at this brave woman in front of her. Maggie sadly thought that she could be headed towards her death right now. The only person who would be truly affected by her death is dead. She's not even sure that her parents would care, if they ever heard about it that is. Maggie needed one moment of pure joy before leaving.

 

"I'd ask to kiss you again but I'm afraid you might stab me." said Maggie and Alex laughed at this. 

 

"Ah, the sound of laughter from a beautiful woman. If I die, at least I'll take the memory of your laugh with me. I'm Maggie Sawyer. Please think kindly of my name, if you think of it at all."

 

And with that Maggie Sawyer walked out of the Lord residence and onto the street only to be watched by Alex from the window above.

________

 

Lena, Winn, and James returned to the garrison with still no idea where their missing comrades were. They searched some of the towns near the Chartres monastery but came up empty. They returned to inform the Captain and hoped that he would approve of some additional men for a further search of the surrounding areas. 

 

"Feed the horses and see that they are rested." said Lena to a couple of young Musketeer cadets.

 

"I'm looking for Lena Luthor!" boomed a voice from the garrison's entrance. 

 

"You found her." replied Lena as she turned and saw a young woman holding a pistol at her.

 

"My name is Maggie Sawyer of Lupiac in Gascony. Prepare to fight. One of us dies here." she said walking further into the garrison and over to a table where she placed her pistol on.

 

"Now that is how you make an entrance." said Winn as he and James stood over to the side to watch this unfold.

 

"May ask why?" asked Lena as she watched as Maggie drew her sword in one hand and her main gauche in the other.

 

"You murdered the only family I had left, a kind man that took me in when I was alone in the world."

 

"You're mistaken. I am not the woman you're looking for." said Lena drawing her own sword preparing to fight.

 

"Murder!" yelled Maggie and she ran in anger at Lena and their swords quickly clashed with each other.

 

Maggie ferociously attacked Lena who was able to parry off all the attacks before Maggie quickly swiped at Lena with her sword. Lena almost lost her footing but she was able to keep herself upright by placing her hand on the wooden sides of the stairs that led up to the Captain's office.

 

Maggie allowed for Lena to stand upright as they pointed their swords at each other.

 

"Do you deny you shot Jeremiah Danvers five days ago in cold blood!" exclaimed Maggie hitting Lena's sword with hers.

  

"Jeremiah? Wasn't that the name of Alex's dad?" asked James softly to Winn who nodded in response.

 

"That name means nothing to me. I usually remember the people I kill." stated Lena.

 

"Then you're a liar as well." said Maggie as she lunged to attack Lena who quickly moved out of the way.

 

Lena then lunged at Maggie who quickly dodged and came back to swipe at Lena with her gauche. Lena was able quickly spin out of the way and drew out her own gauche and continued her counterattack on Maggie.

 

Maggie was able to quickly parry and the two traded off blows. It was sword against sword then sword against gauche and sometimes it was gauche against gauche. Neither woman would give in. The only sound in the garrison was the clashing and clanging of their weapons. 

 

Lena was able to get Maggie to duck an attack from her sword and came back at Maggie with another quick attack that Maggie had to block from above. This left her back exposed and Lena was able to hit Maggie on the back underneath her ribs with her gauche. 

 

Maggie turned to face Lena and began her attacks again. She was able to get Lena to fall to her knees and she followed up with a quick swipe of her sword which Lena easily blocked. This caused Maggie to lose her footing and Lena kicked some baskets of hay into her face distorting her vision. Lena pressed harder in her attack but she could see that Maggie wasn't going to give up easily.

 

"She's keeping up with Lena." said Winn in awe of Maggie's natural talent.

 

"No way. She just doesn’t want to hurt the lunatic." reasoned James and shared a chuckle with his friend.

 

They watched as Lena knocked Maggie's gauche out of her hand. Maggie put some distance between them before lunging at Lena again but her attack was blocked and Lena pushed her up against a wooden pillar in the garrison.

 

"That's enough" yelled Lena, lodging her gauche in the wood above Maggie's head and Maggie felt Lena's sword pressed to her neck.

 

"That could have been your throat. Don't make me kill you over a mistake" said Lena as she saw Maggie breathing hard from either tiredness or anger. It might have been both.

 

"I didn't kill him and I don't want to kill you." finished Lena turning her back from Maggie and walking over to her friends. She thought that Maggie would leave not wanting to be killed for nothing. 

 

She didn't see Maggie furiously stabbed her sword into the ground. She was properly angry for what seemed like the first time in her life. She was angry at her parents, at Jeremiah for not telling her the truth, and at everything that happened since she journeyed to Paris. It almost felt freeing. Maggie pulled Lena's gauche from the wood and threw it at Lena. Winn yelled her name and Lena was barely able to get out of the way. The gauche flew passed Lena's head and lodged itself into a wooden pillar behind Lena and James looked over and saw how close it came to killing his friend. He would have been amazed at how accurate the throw was if his friend's life wasn't at stake.

  

"And that could have been your back. Now are you going to fight me or not?" asked Maggie as she stared Lena down and received no answer from her.

 

Lena saw that Maggie was never going to stop fighting and could see that Maggie wanted answers. This wasn't the way to go about it but she could feel Maggie's anger and knew that she wouldn't stop until one of them was dead. Lena suspected that her friends could as well.

 

"No?" asked Maggie giving Lena a final chance to answer and when she didn't Maggie charged her but was immediately stopped.

 

"She said enough." roared James as he drew out his own sword to defend his friend.

 

"Guess I'll have to fight you both." replied Maggie as she attacked James then Lena who quickly forced Maggie's sword down on the picnic table beside them.

 

James quickly followed suit as Winn joined the fray and put his sword on the table with his friends. All three were trying their best to calm down Maggie but it wasn't working. 

 

"Three of us? Just put down you're sword." said Winn.

 

"You'll have to kill me for it."

 

Maggie used most of the strength that she had left and lifted her sword free from the others covering it.

 

Maggie started fighting all three Musketeers off.  Maggie attacked and blocked their swords as well as she could before she ended up cornered by them. She felt her back land on the stairs and all three of their swords were pointed in her face.

 

"Three against one. Is that really fair?" said a voice. It was Alex walking angrily into the garrison.

 

"We weren't going to kill her?" said Lena as James looked as her confused.

 

"Really? Next time let us know." he said as he and Winn sheathed their swords. 

 

"Madame Lord what are you doing here?" asked Lena rather formally.

 

"I knew she would do something stupid so I followed her." Alex responded before walking over to Maggie.

 

"I don't need your protection."

 

"Oh be quiet. What have I always told you guys? Think instead of rushing into a fight."

 

"Alex, as long as I've known you, you have never followed your own advice." said James smiling at her and Alex rolled her eyes at him.

 

"What's going on?" asked Captain J'onzz entering the garrison with a couple of Musketeers and Red Guards and observing the state of his garrison. It was a mess and the only possible culprits were his Musketeers, Alex, and some woman he didn't know. He didn't have time for this especially in front of a couple of Red Guards.

 

"Never mind. Did you find Cornet?"

 

"No, she never made it to the monastery. Give us twenty soldiers and we'll search the road to Chartres and the surrounding areas." replied Lena.

 

"We have more pressing matters. I'm sorry Lena but these men are here to arrest you with the charges of murder and robbery." said the Captain gesturing to the red guards.

 

At this, James and Winn moved to draw their swords to protest these false charges.

 

"I promised them no trouble. You're to appear before the King immediately."

 

Lena obliged her captain and tossed him her sword before turning to Maggie who was confused as to the events in front of her.

 

"I'm not the person you're looking for."

 

"Then why did Jeremiah name you before he died?!"

 

"As in Danvers? He's dead?" Captain J'onzz asked before quickly glancing at Alex after Maggie nodded.

 

"Dad died eight years ago." Alex whispered and looked at Captain J'onzz for answers.

 

"You're Alex. Jeremiah's your dad. I found you." said Maggie with a small smile. 

 

"The King is waiting." said one of the Red Guards before taking Lena out of the garrison.

 

"J'onn…"

 

"Not now Alex."

 

J'onn sadly shook his head and left the garrison slowly followed by Winn and James. Maggie and Alex remained the only two left in the garrison, both lost in thought. 

 

"Well, I have some questions for you. Guess it’s a good thing I saved your life." said Alex, breaking the silence between them. 

 

"What?! I was about to win." Maggie said as Alex just shook her head in disbelief and sighed.

 

"Why are the cute ones always so stupid? How are your ribs?"

 

"Fine." Maggie said rather defiantly and Alex poked her in response causing Maggie to double over in pain.

 

"Obviously. My husband has a room that you can rent."

 

"Who says I even want it."

 

"You owe me answers and it’s not like you have anywhere else to go."

 

"Fine but answer me this. How are you familiar with all of them?" asked Maggie referencing the Musketeers and everything that happened earlier.

 

"I was one of them. I was a Musketeer."

________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *shocking gasp* Alex was a Musketeer. Did anyone see that coming? I bet someone did. Also she's married. *hides*
> 
> Let me know what you guys think about this chapter and the story in general.
> 
> As always the next chapter should been up in a couple of days.
> 
> Next time: Lena stands trial, Maggie learns more about Alex's past, and the Cardinal receives a visitor.


	5. 1630s Detective Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The King makes a tough decision, Maggie meets the husband, the Cardinal asks a question, and the search for the missing Musketeers begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter tidbit: Max is the worst. To be fair, I can't write a Musketeers AU without having a horrible husband involved. Just bare with me. All will be explained. 
> 
> Let me know if there are any mistakes. Like always thanks for reading and thanks for the kudos.

Lena was escorted into a lavishly decorated state room that was packed with courtiers. The King and Queen were seated at the front of the room in chairs that were on a slightly raised platform. She saw Captain J'onzz standing off to the side near the front while the Cardinal stood in front of the room addressing the King and Queen.

 

"This woman is accused of highway robbery, assault, and murder. Captain J'onzz looks the other way while his Musketeers riot in the streets."

 

"These charges are false." said J'onzz confidently.

 

"There are witnesses." said the Cardinal turning around and motioned to a man standing behind him to walk forward.

 

"My name is Michel Fournier. I was staying at an inn on the outskirts on Paris. The Musketeer name Lena Luthor and her men came and robbed us. She killed the innkeeper and Jeremiah Danvers."

 

"I have never seen this man before!" Lena yelled as the Cardinal pointed to another man standing next to Fournier.

 

"I was driving my master and mistress home and they were both shot. She said her name was Lena."

 

"Is this your attacker?" asked the Cardinal gesturing towards Lena.

 

"I think so. She wore the same uniform."

 

"This is a mockery of justice!" yelled the Musketeer captain in defiance as Lena too began to try to defend herself.

 

"These men are mistaken."

 

"Musketeers are not above the law. The King's judgement is infallible." said the Cardinal as he and the entire room waited to hear the King's judgement.

 

"Quite right, an example must be set. Take Lena to The Chatelet and prepare her for execution tomorrow at dawn." said the King before rising out of her chair and quickly exited the room. The Queen and J'onzz followed him out of the room.

 

"Your majesty, can I have a moment." said the Captain once they were in the hallway with only the Queen and a few of her ladies in waiting and Winn who was watching from a small distance.

 

"The matter is closed." responded the King as he turned and faced the Captain.

 

"It’s about Cornet."

 

"She's missing and so have your letters."

 

"You told me she was trustworthy. Do you realize what is at stake?!" The King said with a raised voice.

 

"There's no need for panic."

 

"I'm not panicking!!" yelled the King before quieting when he realized how loud he was being.

 

"This is your fault. You told me to be my own man." said the King blaming the Queen now who responded with calm and reason.

 

"We must let Captain J'onzz handle it. He hasn't let us down before and he won't now."

 

"The Cardinal can't know about those letters. Do you understand me? He can't find out." fussed the King now getting upset before he was able to pull himself together.

 

"You have disappointed me Captain. You have two women Musketeers disgracing the uniform. I may need to reconsider allowing them to serve me."

 

The King continued on down the hallway followed his wife and once they were out of sight the Musketeer Captain turned to Winn.

 

"If you want to help Lena, find Cornet."

________

 

Maggie answered all of Alex's questions about Jeremiah as they left the garrison in the direction to the Lord residence. Alex learned all about her dad's life in Gascony, how good of a farmer he was, and how Maggie met her father. Alex wanted to ask how Maggie ended up in Gascony but she didn't want to further upset her. Perhaps another day.

  
  
Once they got in the house, Alex sat Maggie down on a chair and walked out of the room to gather some supplies to help with Maggie's bruises. When she got back Maggie had tears running down her face.

  
  
"Its my fault he's dead. I never should have suggested stopping at the inn. He might still be alive if it wasn't for me."

  
  
"Or they could have killed you both on the road and we've never would have met. I never would have known that my dad was alive this whole time."

 

Alex wiped off Maggie's tears and looked her straight in the eye.

  
  
"I don't blame you Maggie so please don't blame yourself."

  
  
Maggie nodded as Alex sorted through some bandages and gestured to Maggie to lift her shirt up as the front door open.

  
  
"Alex, I hope you got those new cloth samples from Brian today. I promised my new customer that I'd bring them by tomorrow."

  
  
"I was kind of busy." responded Alex looking at a Maggie who mouthed her apologies.

  
  
"Busy with what?"

  
  
The person with the voice walked into the room and saw the two women seated at the dining table. This must be the husband, Monsieur Lord. Just by looking at him Maggie thought he was a arrogant jerk. And no, she wasn't just basing that on his clothes but rather what was on his face. He had a pompous looking mustache and a pointy little beard. How in the world did Alex go from being a Musketeer to marrying this?

  
  
"Who are you? She better not be one of your Musketeer friends." 

  
  
"She's not. This is Maggie Sawyer. She knew my father."

  
  
"How? He died eight years ago."

  
  
"Turns out he faked his death and left for Gascony. He thought it would be better if we thought he was dead. That's where Maggie met dad."

  
  
"Still doesn't explain why she is sitting in our house." 

  
  
"She has a name and I'm renting your room." interrupted Maggie. She didn't want to intrude but Maggie was tired of hearing the two go back and forth.

 

"Don't think just because you knew Alex's dad you get some kind of discount. You'll pay full price." 

 

"Fine." said Maggie and saw Alex glaring at him.

 

"Well I am Maxwell Jacques Lord. Perhaps you've heard of me, I'm a merchant of fine cloths for the nobility." he said with a little bow. 

 

"No." answered Maggie sitting with her shirt halfway pulled up as Alex wrapped her ribs.

 

"Well Gascony isn't apart of my clientele, anyway. So how did you come about your injuries?"

 

"Does it matter? I've failed Jeremiah. I'm no closer to finding his killer. I'm sorry Alex."

 

"Why are you sorry? You didn't lie to me for eight years. If my father cared for you, then you must be a good person. You'll find his killer. I know it."

 

"I promise. I won't rest until I know the truth."

 

"So will we." 

 

Maggie got up and almost drew her sword at the sound of Winn's voice while James quickly explained why they were there before another fight broke out.

 

"These Musketeers would you recognize them again?"

 

"They wore masks." said Maggie and the faces of Winn and James fell but she remembered something.

 

"I shot one of them. His body might still be at the inn."

 

"Alright saddle up we're leaving." said James who turned to Winn who looked at Alex hopeful. 

 

"Alex, do you want to join? It could be like old times, The Inseparables in action once more. Lena's set to die tomorrow; we could use your help."

 

Alex was tempted to go. She missed everything about being a Musketeer but her attention was soon drawn elsewhere.

 

"Need I remind you about our marriage? The day we married was the day you gave up being one of them. You made your choice almost two years ago." sneered Max.

 

"My place is here. Just find my dad's killer." said Alex dejectedly as she watched all three of them leave through the door.

________

 

"Was Alex really a Musketeer?" Maggie asked, as she led Winn and James through the snow towards the inn on horseback.

 

"Yes. She was one of the best. She joined as soon as the King allowed it. James and I were already apart of the Musketeers when we met Lena and Alex. After that, we became inseparable." replied Winn.

 

"What happened?"

 

"Eliza died and Kara was supposed to go live with some distance cousins somewhere in Lorraine. Kara didn't want to leave without her sister but she didn't want Alex to give up being a Musketeer. So, the cousins allowed Kara to stay and it worked for a couple of months until Alex got seriously injured on one of our missions. She realized how easy it would be for Kara to lose another family member and if she died Kara would be practically left with nothing. Our pensions aren't that great. So they decided that they would go live with the cousins even though they didn't want to leave Paris but at least they'd be together."

 

"Then enter Maxwell Lord." interrupted James while rolling his eyes.

 

"I take it you don't like him?"

 

"Did you? Anyway, Lord has always taken a liking to Alex and she was never interested keeping her focus solely on Kara and being a Musketeer. He proposed saying that he would look after Kara if anything happened to Alex. And that's all Alex cared about; Kara would be okay and looked after if she died. However, after they were married Max ordered Alex to give up being a Musketeer saying no proper wife should be playing with swords and as his wife Alex had to obey. Alex even asked him for a divorce but he wouldn't grant it."

 

"So he tricked her?" asked Maggie. 

 

"Yeah and Max knows that if he hurts either one of them Alex will kill him so their marriage is mostly for show. Otherwise Alex does what she wants as long as she's not in the garrison. If she touches a sword, both her and Kara are out on the street although Kara could stay in the garrison if she wanted but Alex doesn't want her near any danger." finished James.

 

"He's the worst. What about Kara? What does she do?"

 

"She helps out some of the merchants sell their goods saving up all she can to afford a place to live. Kara partly blames herself that Alex had to marry Max in the first place and she's doing all she can to support herself so Alex can end it with Max and become a Musketeer again. She even trying to convince Alex to let her work in the palace."

 

They reached the inn soon after and Maggie spoke with the late inn keeper's family members who gestured to a freshly dug grave out in the fields.

 

"He's no Musketeer." said Winn looking at the dead body in the dug up grave.

 

"Look at his clothes. There are two bullets holes." Maggie said while pointing at the holes in the dead man's clothes.

 

"So."

 

"I only fired once."

 

"This is the shot that killed him." said Winn examining the bullet hole and looking through it and finding the corresponding hole in the body before moving on to the other hole.

 

"And this hole doesn't match any wound."

 

"Which means that he wasn't wearing this uniform when it was fired but someone else was." reasoned James.

 

"Cornet."

 

"Those Musketeers didn't just disappear. They were attacked."

________

 

This is not the first time Lena was in The Chatelet but is was the first time she was behind bars in a cell. She didn't know how she was going to get out of this but she hoped her friends would get to the bottom of this.The cell she was in was rather large and completely covered in hay; the guards had chained her near the front of the cell so she couldn't move around.

 

"My daughter, make your last confession with an open heart and God will forgive you of your sins." said a priest who was standing in front of her cell holding a bible.

 

"There was someone who devoted her whole life to me. At one point, we were all we ever had and she protected me for most of my life. She died by my hand."

 

"You murdered her." replied the priest in shock.

 

"I loved her. Father, find someone else who deserves you're forgiveness. Don't waste your time with me." she said dejectedly and the priest got up and left Lena to her thoughts.

 

Lena looked down at her locket and she always told people that it was hers but it wasn't. It was a present from her to the woman she killed. She opened the locket and inside was the image of blue flowers. The woman said they were called forget-me-nots and always said they were her favorite. Lena gave this locket to the woman so that she would have these flowers always with her. Now it was Lena who would never forget them or the woman for as long as she lived.

________

 

The light in the room was from the candles flickering throughout the room. The Cardinal was waiting for his agent in his private office in the basement of his home. He wasn't waiting long when he heard a door open and soon he heard footsteps approaching him.

 

"You chose well. Lena is held in high regard by her fellow Musketeers. Her disgrace and execution will strike a blow to their morale. I think the King is even reconsidering allowing women to become Musketeers." said the Cardinal rather gleefully.

 

"But why her?" he continued now facing his agent.

 

"I have my reasons." smiled the agent but the Cardinal didn't let it drop.

 

"I don't like secrets."

 

"I've done as you asked and helped you discredit the Musketeers."

 

"Which you have been paid well for."

 

"There are others that can pay just as well but my loyalty is to you." stated the agent now silently challenging the Cardinal who was satisfied with the explanation and moved onto another matter.

 

"Our plan did not include you killing Mendoza. He may have been a Spanish traitor but I still had use of him."

 

"He was a terrible lover and a bore. Remember, Mendoza betrayed his country for a handful of gold and a place in my bed. He knew too much and he would have betrayed you as soon as he could. You hired me to do a job and I did it."

 

The agent then pulled out a handful of letters and waved them in the Cardinal's face as he tried to grab him.

 

"Mendoza's letters with the King's seal. What's so important about these letters?"

 

"The King has begun to think that he can rule without me. The loss of these letters will make him think otherwise." said the Cardinal grabbing the letters and putting them on his desk. He then goes to grab an object wrapped in cloth.

 

"One more thing. Find out who owns this and you will be well rewarded." said the Cardinal unwrapping a beautifully designed pistol and handing it to his agent who turned to leave the Cardinal's office.

 

"Did you enjoy it? Did you enjoy killing Mendoza, Milady? Did you find pleasure in it?" questioned the Cardinal but he received no response as Milady walked out of his office.

________

 

The three of them have been traveling down different paths near the inn in order to find where Cornet and her men were attacked. They soon reached a clearing that according to James would be a good place for an ambush.

 

"Plenty of cover and good sightlines. Cornet wouldn't have suspected a thing." he said as Winn pointed to the sky. There were crows circling above. They rode over to where the crows were and found the bodies. They were lying in the snow with the crows pecking at them. The only thing on the bodies was their underclothes. Winn approached the only female of the group.

 

"Cornet." he said taking off his hat in respect for his fallen comrades.

 

"They shot them down and stripped them from their uniforms." seethed James in anger to whoever did this to his friends as they returned back to their horses. They would have to send someone for the bodies later.

 

"Maggie whoever did this killed Jeremiah as well. The only way to get justice for our fallen friends and Jeremiah is to clear Lena's name. Will you help us?"

 

Maggie considered what Winn had to say and she knew that he was right. Its just going after those who killed the Musketeers and framed Lena seemed a bit out of her wheelhouse. Before she could answer, James came over holding something shiny.

 

"This is a Spanish doubloon." he said holding it up and Winn immediately grabbed it.

 

"These are so rare that one could go a whole year without seeing one of these. However this makes two in one week." said Winn as he dug through his pockets and pulled out another Spanish doubloon.

 

"Where did you get that?" asked Maggie.

 

"From a Red Guard I beat in a card game."

________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So does anyone like Max? No one. That's fine. Also the gang is getting closer to the truth. 
> 
> Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think of this chapter or the story in general. Next chapter will be up in a week or so. Its a bit longer than the others. 
> 
> Next time: Louis and the Cardinal have a chat and the others find out the truth.


	6. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Cardinal gets what he wants, Dujon is interrogated, and a fight for the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is up earlier than I said. Wasn't as long as I thought it was. Hope you like it!
> 
> Chapter tidbit: Some semi-historical talk. Also some fight scenes. 
> 
> Let me know if there are any mistakes. Thanks for reading and for the kudos.

The Royal Library was massive and Louis wondered if he would be able to read all the books on the shelves in his lifetime. The room was beautifully decorated with a mural on the ceiling and it’s been there ever since he was a young. Then he was a boy learning about the world and how to be a ruler; today he was King and he was discussing about a possible war with Spain.

 

"There have been numerous incidents and provocations. War with Spain is inevitable." stated the Cardinal as he looked out one of the library's many windows.

 

"It is not the time for war."

 

"On the contrary, Spain can't be allowed to dominate Europe. That solely belongs to France."

 

"The Queen is Spanish."

 

"I am aware."

 

"I wrote some letters to my brother-in-law, the King of Spain. Letters that touched upon our foreign policy." confessed Louis.

 

"What did these letters say?" asked the Cardinal questioned even though he already knew the answer.

 

"They discussed terms of a peace treaty between our two countries."

 

"I've made it clear that France must resist Spanish aggression." said the Cardinal in anger.

 

"I know but it seems the letters have gone missing. If they were to fall into enemy hands, it would be embarrassing." Louis finished with a tiny smile on his face.

 

"More like fatal, Sire. If your letters were made public, France would be seen as divided and weak. What other conclusion is possible, if the King allows his First Minister to promote one policy in public, while advocating for another in private?!"

 

Louis had no response to this and was at a loss of what needs to happen. He didn't know what to say. 

 

"In order to protect your Majesty from any embarrassment, I will take the blame for these letters. I will have to withdraw from public life immediately, there is no other option." stated the Cardinal bowing in respect to his King before turning to leave.

 

"I'll give you whatever you want. Just get me out of this mess. I never should have done anything without your counsel." pleaded Louis now with tears in his eyes and the Cardinal took some time to consider the offer.

 

"How were these letters transported?"

 

"J'onzz arranged it. But of course his Musketeers had to mess everything up. Just tell me what to do. I'll remove all the women from the regiment. I'll even disband the regiment." Louis really didn't want to lose the Cardinal and he was willing to do whatever it took to make him stay. 

 

"Well...in due course possibly. Let's not rush into any hasty decisions."

 

"Please don't leave me alone."

 

"I am your humble servant. We'll see what can be done." replied the Cardinal as Louis sighed in relief. The Cardinal tried not to smile too much as the King left the library. He knew that he had the King's complete trust now. 

________

 

Winn returned to the tavern proudly dawning his Musketeer uniform. It was crowded and noisy but as soon as the tavern's occupants noticed him it went completely silent.

 

"I hate it when that happens." Winn said walking through the tavern. "I love the crowd in here, very chatty." He continued on to say and approached the bar.

 

"I don't want any trouble." said that barkeep.

 

"You're not. Just tell me where Dujon is. Scrawny, Red Guard." said Winn as he leaned closer to the man.

 

"Haven't seen him."

 

"I was told that he was here."

 

"Well you were told wrong."

 

Before Winn could respond, he noticed someone creeping up behind him and Winn immediately rammed his elbow in his would be attackers face. He then grabbed his attacker by the shoulders and slammed his head on the bar. Winn looked down to where his attacker fell knocked out cold, it was Dujon.

 

"Oh there he is." said Winn to the barkeep.

________

 

Maggie watched as James and Winn dragged an unconscious Dujon to an abandoned barn. Whenever they passed strangers on the way, one of them would say that their friend had too much to drink and they were doing the responsible thing and taking him home. Once they got to the barn, they sat Dujon on a chair and tied his hands together before waking him up. Dujon slowly opened his eyes and was confused at the sight of Winn and James standing over him. Maggie was standing a couple of feet away behind the trio watching the interrogation. 

 

"Time to pay for Cornet's death." said James.

 

"I bet he's going to say I have no idea what you're talking about." replied Winn as Dujon looked on silently almost wanting to nod in agreement as he looked between the two Musketeers.

 

"And then we'll have to hurt him." continued James.

 

"And then, he'll remember that he did do it." replied Winn again as Dujon shook his head.

 

"Why wait? Let's just hurt him now." said Winn as James shrugged at him in indifference before smiling and kneeling down to talk to Dujon.

 

"You could go through all that or avoid it all by confessing now. It would be a timesaver for us and cause you a lot less pain." said James fully in Dujon's face.

 

"I was just following orders." blurted out Dujon.

 

"He was just following orders." repeated Winn nodding in understanding.

 

"We better let him go." said James as Dujon sighed in relief. Winn however grabbed him off his chair and pushed him up against a wooden barn post trying to scare him.

 

"I can't tell you. They'll kill me." said Dujon scared for his life as James pulled Winn off Dujon before saying:

 

"There is no need for that, it's not like we're brutes. We'll just shoot him."

 

"What!?" yelled Dujon as Winn once again pushed him up against the barn pole. Maggie looked on concerned wondering if James would really kill Dujon.

 

"People have said I'm quite good at this." said James as he picked up a musket and a couple of charges. Winn laughed while tying Dujon to the post.

 

"Good? He's the best, stop being so humble"

 

"But the musket isn't the most reliable weapon. From one hundred yards, I'll probably miss than hit. And well, from fifty, I rarely miss." gloated James.

 

"But from ten. It's a matter of which vital organs I choose to hit first." finished James as he prepared his musket ready to fire.

 

"No. No. No. Listen, please. Please." Dujon pleaded almost in tears.

 

"Heart?" asked Winn.

 

"Too swift. The liver perhaps." Winn chuckled at this.

 

"Or a stomach shot. Death is inevitable but first you'll bleed for hours." continued James as his musket was now ready to fire.

 

"This is murder." said Dujon trying to plead with them one last time.

 

"We won't tell if you won't." replied Winn as James got set to fire.

 

Dujon closed his eyes as James aimed at him and cocked the musket. Maggie wondered if she should stop them and try to find another way without killing but James pulled the trigger before she made up her mind.

 

"Bang" said Winn into Dujon's ear and Maggie let out a sigh of relief.

 

"Whoops. I forgot the ball." said James as he pulled out a small silver musket ball. Dujon started to take deep breathes as James brought the ball closer to the musket.

 

"It was Captain Gaudet." blurted out Dujon.

 

"Of the Red Guards?" questioned Winn.

 

"He told us to do it. He wanted a few men for some special unofficial mission. Some sort of ambush to steal the King's letters. But Gaudet went crazy and killed everyone. None of us knew it was going to be murder."

 

"You took this from Cornet." Winn said holding up the Spanish doubloon.

 

"His saddle bags were full of Spanish gold. Gaudet said we could share it between us. I just…." Dujon was interrupted by Maggie who angrily approached and grabbed a fistful of his hair with one hand and his throat with the other.

 

"Who murdered Jerimiah Danvers? Who!?"she yelled at him.

 

"Gaudet paid some woman to do it and then killed her. He wanted to blacken Lena's name. I'm no killer. I'm not like him." reasoned Dujon as Winn pulled Maggie away from Dujon.

 

"I'm a soldier like you." said Dujon which angered Winn who grabbed his throat. To Winn, soldiers didn't behave like this. 

 

"Where is Gaudet now?" asked James calmly but it sounded more like a threat.

 

"He camped in the ruins, outside of the city gates. I'll show you where, just don't kill me."

 

"There now that wasn't so hard now was it?" asked James as Winn released him and went to untie him as Maggie went over to James.

 

"Were you really going to kill him?"

 

"You think we're savages?"

 

"I just met you guys. How am I supposed to know? And honestly, I can't tell."

 

"The only thing that matters is that he thought we were."

 

"That's not what I asked."

 

Maggie thought James wasn't going to answer after a few moments of silence but he just shrugged and said who knows but Maggie doesn't know if he believed his own answer.

________

 

Dujon led them to exactly where he said Gaudet was located. These ruins were standing long before they were born and probably will be standing long after they're all dead. In order to get a better view of the camp they climbed up a snowy grassy bank. They could see a couple of fires within the ruins and James pulled out his spyglass to get a better look at the ruins.

 

"Gaudet keeps his camp well-guarded. You'll never surprise him." Dujon said and Winn told him to shut up.

 

"The bridge is the only way in but there are too many for a frontal assault. I could take out a couple from here." said James after putting down his spyglass.

 

"That won't do. By the time you reload, the others will be gone. We have to be stealthy if we're going to capture Gaudet and retrieve those Musketeer uniforms. We need some kind of distraction." said Winn as he tried to think of something.

 

"I know something that might work." said Maggie.

________

 

Alex slowly approached the guard standing by the bridge in front of the ruins. It was hard to walk in these shoes when the grass was wet and covered in rocks almost everywhere she stepped. 

 

"I can't believe I'm doing this. I was a Musketeer." she mumbled as she walked through the cold snow. She was dressed as a working girl. She couldn't believe that she agreed to do this. 

 

"What do you want?" asked the guard as he pointed his musket at her.

 

"Fifty sous and I'll take you to heaven.” she said in her best sultry yet charming voice.

 

"Are you one of those religious nutcases?" he asked while lowering his firearm.

 

"It was a metaphor." She forgot how stupid the Red Guards were. "Never mind. You can do whatever you like. I'm all yours. Clear enough." she said as she joined him on the bridge trying to draw his attention from the direction she just came from.

 

"Yeah. Five sous." said the guard unconvincingly while looking at her.

 

"Five sous!" she said outraged.

 

"Fine. Ten, but that's it."

 

"Alright." she said and the guard turned his back and fully faced her. Before he could do anything, he was grabbed from behind by Winn and knocked unconscious. Winn, then saw another guard further in the ruins completing his rounds and laid the unconscious guard on Alex.

 

"Hey, I get a turn next." laughed out the guard as Alex waved him off with the unconscious guard's hand. Once he left, Winn picked up the guard and began to walk him across the bridge.

 

"Excuse me." he said to Alex smiling, happy that Alex joined them on their mission. Following him was James who softly shook his head.

 

"Ten sous? Shame on you."

 

Alex saw that Winn had softly tossed the guard over the bridge into some bushes below as Maggie approached her.

 

"I am in your debt." she said.

 

"I'm doing this for Lena and my dad. If he lived, he was going to introduce us. I just know it and we would have been a family again."

 

"We are family Alex. You, me, and Kara. It doesn't matter how we met, the only thing that does is we did."

 

"I remember he always said help out your family no matter what."

 

"He told me that too." replied Maggie gazing down Alex's outfit. It suited her quite well. 

 

"Stop looking at me like that." said Alex lightly hitting Maggie who slightly chuckled.

 

"Sorry, you are so beautiful. Be our lookout and stay hidden."

 

"I know. This is not my first mission."

 

"Right. Do you know how to use this?" asked Maggie smiling while holding out her pistol. Alex just grabbed it and told her to get a move on and looked back at the pistol in her hands.

________

 

Maggie slowly followed behind Winn and James who were hold two pistols and a musket respectively. Maggie just had her sword. They hid behind a pillar and looked out and saw a bunch of Red Guards around a fire and some walking through the ruins. Maggie peaked her head through to get a good look at the Red Guards' camp.

 

"There he is. That's Gaudet over there." said James nodding at a man drinking out of a bottle.

 

"He thinks no one can touch him." said Winn noticing Gaudet was walking around with no weapon.

 

"Wait for my signal. We need to surprise them." said James but Maggie had other ideas.

 

"Gaudet!!" she yelled running towards the man and drawing out her sword startling the Red Guards.

 

"Surprise would have been everything." said James pulling out his pistol to shoot at a guard who just missed a shot at him and Winn.

 

Some of the Red Guards drew their swords while others ran from the camp. Maggie ran through the fleeing Red Guards and struck one down with her sword on her way to Gaudet. Winn took out a guard aiming his musket before he and James had to take cover from the shooting Red Guards behind a stone wall in order to reload.

 

As Maggie got closer to Gaudet, she knocked down another guard before seeing that Gaudet had pulled one of his Red Guards in front of him to act as a human shield before he grabbed a fallen sword. Gaudet twirled away and drew out the sword while pushing the guard forward towards Maggie. She struck the guard and he fell face down.

 

"What's your problem girl?!" yelled Gaudet as he backed away from Maggie.

 

"You had Jeremiah Danvers killed and you will pay for it!"

 

Maggie lunged at Gaudet and started her assault and moved him around the campfire but Gaudet managed to block all of her attacks. On her last move, Gaudet was able to block her sword down and managed to knock her on the face before Maggie felt someone grab at her cloak and tore it off of her. She saw Gaudet flee as she turned to fight off another Red Guard. She managed to get him in the arm before quickly running after Gaudet.

 

Winn and James were having trouble as well as they were slowly being surrounded by Red Guards. Winn used James' musket to knock out a guard before running off after Maggie. James pulled out his sword and easily fought off two of the guards and using his cloak as a weapon of its own. Winn was on his way to Maggie but almost got knocked down by a Red Guard but quickly recovered and punched him down to the ground before being approached by a rather large guard.

 

Maggie rounded the corner and soon came face to face with a guard pointing a musket at her. Before he could fire a shot, he fell in pain shot in the back. Once the smoke cleared, Maggie saw Alex with her pistol in hand. Maggie nodded her thanks before continuing after Gaudet.

 

The larger man walked slowly up to Winn who was trying to figure out his next move. Winn was able to block a couple of the guard’s attacks before both their swords were knocked out of their hands. They went back and forth blocking each others punches. One of them would soon give in due to tiredness. 

 

Maggie followed Gaudet to an isolated section of the ruins. She ran up some steps before jumping onto a rocky ledge before continuing her fight with Gaudet. Maggie had to block some of Gaudet's attacks before getting a few in for herself. On her last attack, Gaudet had to keep his sword up while blocking hers but moved his sword quickly and swiped at Maggie before she could move any closer. Gaudet continued to flee down the rocky pathway.

 

Winn managed to evade a few of the larger man's punches before pushing him up against the wall and punching him in the back a couple of times before finally knocking him out. Winn looked over towards James who knocked down the third guard who came at him before fighting off the next two that attacked him.

 

Gaudet led Maggie back to the campsite before attacking her again but Maggie was ready this time and quickly blocked it before she furiously attacked Gaudet with her sword. She struck back and managed to overpower Gaudet before grabbing his sword out of his hand and knocking him down. Gaudet tried to back away on his hands but Maggie crossed the two swords and placed them on either side of his neck. She roared in anger at this man. 

 

"Maggie, we need him alive!" yelled James approaching them near the fire.

 

This man took away the only family she ever knew, he didn't deserve to live but she looked up not knowing what to do. She was angry and wanted to kill this man but she saw that James had reached their position near the campfire and shook his head. She knew then that she had to do the right thing and that was letting this man live so Lena could go free.

 

"Death in combat would be too honorable for you. I rather see you hang." she spat at Gaudet and removed the swords from his throat.

 

Maggie threw Gaudet's sword to the side and walked away from the fire to clear her head when she heard James yell her name. She turned and saw Gaudet run at her with his dagger. Maggie quickly stabbed Gaudet in the chest and he quickly fell to his knees as Maggie pulled her sword out of his body. James walked over to Maggie nodding in understanding that she had no other choice but before he could say anything they heard Winn whistle who was standing near a cart.

 

"The stolen uniforms. They're all here." he said holding a Musketeer pauldron and James walked over towards him saying. "Combined with Dujon's confession, hopefully this will be enough to clear Lena."

 

Maggie picked up her cloak near the fire and saw Alex watching them from afar. As Maggie approached her, Alex turned her attention to the man she shot and felt Maggie drape her cloak over her shoulders.

 

"That’s the first man I killed in almost two years. I almost forgot what it felt like. What it feels like to be a part of this. I thought I missed that feeling but I'm not so sure anymore." said Alex in shock as Maggie buttoned the cloak up to keep Alex from freezing.

 

"You saved my life Alex. Being a Musketeer was something you wore born to do. Its in your blood." said Maggie cupping Alex's cheek with her gloved hand.

 

"Maybe it was at some point but not anymore. Take me home." said Alex removing Maggie's hand from her face. "My husband will be back soon."  Maggie nodded in response, wrapped her arm around her shoulder, and together they walked back over to the entrance of the ruins.

________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you guys think? Almost at the end. For this story anyway. I'll explain my plans for a series in the next chapter. 
> 
> Thanks for reading. Next chapter will be up soon. 
> 
> Next time: Will Lena's execution be stopped in time? Also, Maggie receives an offer.


	7. And One for All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena's execution, Milady confesses, and Maggie meets Kara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter tidbit: There is a callback to some of the previous chapters. Can you spot it? Also a character that we haven't seen since chapter 2 is back. The Inseparables are Lena, James, and Winn. 
> 
>  Let me know if there are any mistakes. Thanks for reading and thanks for the kudos.

Lena was awoken by her cell door being opened. A Red Guard stood over her, unchained her from the wall, and told her to stand. She walked out of the cell and continued down through the prison followed by a couple of Red Guards. Once she reached the prison entrance, guards on the other side opened the door for her to walk through. She was guided through the Chatelet until she was guided down a couple of stairs where she saw five Red Guards holding muskets facing a wall. A Red Guard pushed her towards the wall and grabbed a chain off the wall and latched it on the left side of her handcuff chains while another guard did the same on her right.

 

"Take aim." said the Red Guard in charge of the Chatelet and the firing squad placed each of their muskets on stands to help their aim. 

 

This was it. Her friends didn't make it, she was going to die. Lena looked over to the priest and saw him take a deep breath as well. She took a couple of deep breathes and closed her eyes knowing that she couldn't stop the inevitable. She heard their muskets preparing to fire but yet nothing happened. She heard no gunshots, felt no pain.

 

"Come on!! Shoot! Damn you, shoot!!" she yelled in anger.

 

"Hold your fire!" shouted a Red Guard.

 

"If I were you, I wouldn't be in such a hurry to die." said James, walking down the stairs holding up a rolled piece of parchment with a seal on it.  He was closely followed by Winn and Maggie.

 

"Your release signed by the King." continued James and the firing squad took up their muskets as Winn walked past glaring at them.

 

"Remove her chains."

 

Once she was free, Lena let out a breathe she had no idea she was holding.

 

"I thought I'd finally shaken you two off." she said as Winn and James laughed at she grabbed both of their shoulders in thanks.

 

"There are easier ways." said James as they guided her to the bottom of the stairs where Maggie was leaning against. They made eye contact with each other and Lena regarded the young woman before her and nodded her thanks to her. Maggie smiled in response as Lena walked up the stairs to leave the Chatelet. What they didn't know is that they had an observer watching from above through a small window in an adjoining building. It was Milady, angry that her plan failed.

________

 

Jess was summoned to the main area of the Cardinal's home. She's been working here for years and she's always amazed at how massive the Cardinal's home was. As she approached the area, she saw that the Cardinal and a couple of guards were already in the area.

 

"Ah, Jess. I was hoping you could help me." said the Cardinal gesturing to one of the guards that brought out a pistol. Jess recognized it as James'.

 

"It seems that we had in intruder in the kitchens. Was anything taken? I'm having my guards check through the rest of my home and check for any disturbances." he finished.

 

After working for the Cardinal for so long, Jess knew that he was trying to play her. She didn't want to get James in trouble with the Cardinal. If she told the Cardinal the truth, James could be kicked out of the regiment and she could be placed in the Chatelet; if she didn't and the Cardinal already knew the truth, it wouldn't be good. She knew either way they were both going to face the Cardinal's wrath. 

 

"Not that I've seen." she responded trying to stay calm hoping she chose right.

 

"Very well, ask around and find out whose pistol this is and throw him in the Chatelet." ordered the Cardinal to his guards who left the two of them alone.

 

"Jess, your family has served me well and I want to reward you with that loyalty." stated the Cardinal.

 

"I am just your humble servant, your Eminence." replied Jess, as she curtsied to him in respect.

 

"I am allowing you to return to your family. You have until the end of the day to clear out your belongings."

 

"Have I done something wrong?" questioned Jess surprised at the Cardinal's decision.

 

"I gave you the chance to tell the truth and you didn't. I respected your father and he is the only reason why I am letting you live. If you don't leave, I will kill you and the Musketeer. If you or your family wish to work in Paris again, you will have no contact with anyone dealing with the regiment. If you tell him about my threat, I will know and he'll be dead within the hour and you'll be thrown in The Chatelet." the Cardinal said in anger turning his back on Jess who cried quietly as she walked back down to the kitchens.

________

 

Maggie stood in Captain J'onzz office waiting for the man to enter. The Inseparables had told Maggie their Captain wanted to talk to her and she had no idea why.

 

"Sorry, I'm late. My meeting with the King ran over." said the Captain as he entered the office and Maggie asked him something that's been on her mind since learning the truth.

 

"Do you really think Gaudet acted without the Cardinal's order?"

 

"I think it would be best if you dropped the subject."

 

"The Cardinal could have been behind Jeremiah's murder. Your friend! Alex's dad! How can I drop it?"

 

"Where's your proof? Even if it was true, you'd be going up not just against the Cardinal but the King as well. It's safer for everyone if you leave it alone." said the Captain as he moved to take a seat at his desk. Maggie wanted to argue but knew he was right so she reluctantly nodded.  

 

"Why am I here?"

 

"You know, Jeremiah wrote me a couple of times while he was in Gascony for the first couple of years. He wanted to hear updates about his family. He stopped writing a couple of years ago and I assumed it was he wanted to forget about what happened but I gathered it was because of you."

 

"I kept him busy." replied Maggie remembering fondly about the early years when she and Jeremiah first met.

 

"I can see that. He wrote me a week before you showed up. He said that he was tired of hiding and living a lie. He was ready to come home."

 

"I know all this."

 

"Right. Well just answer me this. What are you going to do now? Where are you going to go?"

 

Maggie honestly had no idea, a part of her wanted to stay but she would miss the farm and the only home she ever knew.

 

"Home." she said almost halfheartedly. She really didn't want to return to Gascony but she had no way to support herself here. Maggie wanted to get to know Alex and Kara but she needed to find something to do in Paris. 

 

"Is that what you really want? Because I see something in you; something I see in all my men and women. I saw it in Alex and I think Jeremiah saw it in you too."

 

"You want me to become a Musketeer." said Maggie in shock.

 

"Yes, James and Winn have seen you with a sword. You're good and could be great. And as much as I hate to say it, there is nothing left for you in Gascony. Stay here with us. Get to know Kara and Alex. I believe we could provide you with a home and family. Think on it, please. I'll be at Alex's later; I need to apologize for keeping her in the dark. Give me your answer then."

 

Maggie nodded and left the Captain to his work as she left the garrison to join the others for a celebratory meal.

_________

 

"You come to Paris to kill Lena, but you end of saving her life." said James as he sat in front of Maggie with Winn seated beside him.

 

"She'll enjoy the irony, after a few drinks." replied Winn, turning to look at Lena who was seated at a separate table and did not look happy that she was spared the firing squad. Maggie saw Lena brooding in her seat drinking a glass of wine.

 

"What's wrong with her?"

 

"Someone she was close to died, a family member I think. I'm not sure cause she doesn't talk about it much." answered James.

 

"I'll stay behind. Someone will have to carry him home." said Winn and James got up from his seat and gathered his belongings to leave before turning to Maggie.

 

"Do you need a place to stay?"

 

"I have a place."

 

"In the arms of our very own Alex?"

 

"She's a married woman and the daughter of my father figure." she answered. James and Winn just looked at each other and laughed.

 

"You really are from Gascony."

 

"Anyway there's someone else. I've only met her once but she's the most fascinating women I've ever met. We have unfinished business." she said thinking of what she would do if she ever saw Milady again.

 

"Well she sounds intriguing." said Winn.

 

"You have no idea."

 

James said his farewells to his friends before leaving the bar. Winn turned his focus to Maggie and challenged her to a game of cards.

 

"You're staying right?" he asked shuffling through the deck.

 

"I'm giving my answer to the Captain later today."

 

"Good, I've missed hazing a newbie."

________

 

"What are you doing here?" asked Alex as she opened the door and saw Captain J'onzz on the other side.

 

"I came to check on you. I heard you were at the ruins."

 

"Well I'm fine." she said before closing the door but the Captain stopped it with his hand.

 

"Really."

 

Alex opened the door so he could enter the house and led the Captain into the kitchen to sit at the table.

 

"Its just been awhile since I saw any real action. I miss it. I miss being a Musketeer but it reminded me of why I stopped. Its too dangerous."

 

"I wish you would have taken up the training position I offered. "

 

"You know I belong in the field J'onn."

 

"I know but I should have been more of a help to you and Kara."

 

"It wasn't your fault. I married Max in my own misguided judgement that he would stick to his word. He didn't and now I'm stuck."

 

"I could have written your father. I'm sorry I never told you. He made me promise to look after you but I should have forced him to stay."

 

"It's not your fault J'onn. I'm angry at the choices he made not yours. Did mom know?"

 

"I told her before she passed. She wasn't happy of course but she understood."

 

Alex was happy that her Mom knew the truth before dying. At least her parents were together again.

 

"Do you want to stay for dinner? Max is out but Kara would enjoy your company. Especially any funny cadet stories."

 

"I can't stay but speaking of cadets. I offered Maggie a chance to join the Musketeers. She's good with a sword Alex. Almost as good as you."

 

Alex knew that Gaudet was a fine swordsman in his own right but when she saw that Maggie was able to keep up with him. She was amazed. Whether it was determination or something else, Maggie had a natural ability with a sword and a keen sense of honor. She would make a fine Musketeer. 

 

"Did she accept?" asked Alex excited that Maggie might stay in Paris. She didn't want her to go.

 

"She's supposed to meet me here actually and tell me her answer but I hope she does."

 

"Me too."

________

 

Dujon was seated in a cell in the Chatelet playing with some hay when the cell door opened. It was the Cardinal, Dujon stood as he entered.

 

"I'm grateful for your loyalty, Dujon. I thought you might talk to save your own skin."

 

"Still could. Unless you're here to save me?"

 

The Cardinal raised a couple of cups with a smile. "Let's drink to your freedom."

 

Dujon grabbed a cup and the Cardinal began to pour the wine. "The formalities are being arranged, as we speak."

 

"And to think, you would be in here instead of me if I told them that you were the one to give Gaudet his orders."

 

"Everything I do, I do for France." said the Cardinal defending himself.

 

"And I am your man forever."

 

"Long live the King." they both said and Dujon drank this wine as the Cardinal slowly turned away from Dujon as he poured out the contents of his cup onto the hay.

 

Dujon looked at the Cardinal with a weird expression before realizing that something was wrong. He started to have trouble breathing and started gasping for air. His cup quickly fell out of his hands and he soon followed landing on his knees groaning in pain. The Cardinal waited in the cell until he heard Dujon take his last breath.

____________

 

James approached the back of the Cardinal's home and knocked on the door. "I'm looking for Jess." he said, to a maid he didn't recognize.

 

"She was sent home earlier today. I am her replacement." said the young woman and James couldn't think of what to say.

 

"She left you this." said the maid handing him an object wrapped in a piece of cloth before shutting the door back. It was his pistol. He didn't even know that it was missing. If the Cardinal found it...now James really began to worry about Jess' welfare. He didn't want to cause a scene especially since he didn't know if the Cardinal was home. He knew where Jess was from and immediately mounted his horse to find her.

________

 

Maggie was about to enter the Lord household when the door opened, it was Captain J'onzz and she saw Alex standing behind him.

 

"Did you apologize?" she asked him.

 

"He did and he told me that he offered you the chance to join the Musketeers. Which I think is a brilliant idea." replied Alex and Maggie smiled in response knowing that she made the right decision.

 

"If I say yes, can I stay here? I feel like you might have a lot of questions. And I want to get to know you and Kara, if you'll allow it." she said with a small smile.

 

"Of course you can stay. It'll be nice to have someone else to talk to about their day. Or just about anything in general." said Alex happily.

 

"Well report to the Garrison tomorrow and we'll put you through the paces." said J'onzz holding out his hand which Maggie eagerly shook.

______

 

Milady entered a church and walked up the aisle through some pews until she reached the confessional box. She stepped into the box and pulled the curtain and kneeled on the small stool in front of her.

 

"Forgive me Father for I have sinned, often." The priest turned and looked at her through the divider.

 

"Confess your sins my child."

 

"I lay with many men. I've killed some of them. In the eyes of the world, I have done unforgivable things. But I once loved someone. I thought of her as my own daughter and I loved her." Milady trailed off and began to think of that peaceful day by the river. 

 

The two of them would always pick these blue flowers together and Milady called them forget-me-nots. They were her favorite and once she received a locket as a gift that had the image of these flowers inside. She had no idea where it was now and missed the feeling of it around her neck as much as she missed the person who gave it to her. Even though that person tried to kill her. She needed answers to the questions that kept her up at night. 

 

"Why did God abandon me? Why didn't he answer my prayers? Can you tell me that?"

 

She looked up through the divider and made eye contact with the priest. He had fear in his eyes. 

 

"You are the child of the devil. You're an abomination!" he quietly said to her and in anger Milady pushed through the divider grabbing his chained cross and choking him in the process.

 

"You don't understand. I'm not looking for absolution. I'm looking for revenge." she angrily said pulling harder on the cross.

__________

  

They were seated at the kitchen table quietly conversing when they heard the front door open. After Captain J'onzz left, Alex and Maggie worked together to prepare dinner. Alex called it a celebratory meal because Maggie accepted the Captain's offer. Maggie was just happy to eat a proper meal but she was also a little nervous since she was meeting Kara. Alex told her she didn't have to worry because Kara loved everyone. Except Max. No one liked him.   

 

"Alex! You won't believe it!" yelled a voice at the entrance of the house.

 

"Kara? What's wrong?" asked Alex walking over to her sister who looked like she was about to burst.

 

"Nothing but I got the palace job. I'll be working in the Queen's apartments."

 

"Kara, that's amazing."

 

"So I can do it?"

 

"Yeah. I just want you to be happy."

 

"Me too. That's why I'm doing this so you can go back to being a Musketeer."

 

"I know that. There's someone who I want you to meet." said Alex guiding Kara over to the kitchen where dinner was ready on the table.

 

"Kara, this is Maggie Sawyer. Maggie, this is my sister. She knew my dad."

 

Alex watched as the two shook hands as Kara turned to her confused.

 

"Jeremiah faked his death, moved to Gascony, and became a farmer. That's where we met." explained Maggie smiling at Kara.

 

"So he's alive." said Kara smiling but Alex softly shook her head.

 

"He was murdered Kara. He was coming back home but he was killed. Maggie found his killer with the help of the Musketeers."

 

"Oh." responded Kara as she sat down at the table.

 

"Maggie's going to be staying with us while she trains to become a Musketeer." said Alex trying to brighten Kara's mood a bit and also sat a plate of food in front of her.

 

"That's amazing!! You'll be great at it Maggie and soon you and Alex will be going on adventures together."

 

"Well we already had an adventure of our own." said Maggie. She saw Alex take a seat across from her and the two smiled at each other.

 

"Really. So tell me Maggie Sawyer about your journey to Paris."

________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone catch the callback?
> 
> Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this story. 
> 
> So the next story in this series will be about Maggie's first mission as a Musketeer in training. Alex's coming out and her path to find a way out of her marriage and become a Musketeer again will begin. May try to write some more of Kara too. I'll try to have the first chapter up in a week. So keep an eye out.


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